Crikey, just getting back to blogland after an absence and look at all the excitement I missed on PB! I just loved your encounter with Leslie Caron in the metro - so glad she appreciated the humour of you giving her directions! (I adore her shoes and her shih tzu in equal measures). And to have that topped by the story of Helen and the red Birkin in L'Ami Louis, and now macaron and chocolat heaven - what an amazing time you're having in Paris, I'm green with envy!

I passed out swooning over this post, Carol! I must have been out for hours as I dreamed I made perfect macs & they were my favorite colour- turquoise, but I came to so didn't remember what flavor. Jill, I am revisiting your blog for hints & going out to get a copy of your book!

Aha. That's what you got up to after I'd left. Did you have room for the bracelet, too? I had so much fun with you, Carol. Thanks for bringing me along and showing me your savoir-faire. You know, I discovered some wee surprises in my bag afterwards - how did you manage to slip these in without me seeing AND take that photo? I'm wrinkling at the sight of all these macs!

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love your blog! Your stories and little drawings make my day. It's been a couple of years since I was last in Paris and every one of your posts makes me long to again - soon.Merci beaucoup, Carol!

Boy, you are packing in the adventures on this trip!So many macarons! I'd love to have a supply of the chocolate covered ones.That necklace would take lot of guts to wear out in public :)The bracelet is something that must have been made with you in mind!

I love your blog; you know I do, but it would be so much better, andless irritating to this former French teacher, and I am sure, French readers, if you would get the Frenchgirl or someone else to proof your French. For example, you often end the blog entries with "Good night"in French which should be " Bonne Nuit" and not what you currentlywrite. There are many other examples but I won't enumerate them.

I know you would increase your readership if you just took more time with the writing too, especially when you attempt to write in French.Helen Mirren is nice, but correct French is better.Best,Laurie

Thank you so much for the fabulous posting!!! It was great to see you last night...hope you had fun, and thanks so much for coming!! Enjoy the rest of your stay - i know you'll be busy and I'll keep track of your adventures. I do love your posts.

If I got one of those little cameras would I have as much fun as you have??? lol. Another wonderful post with to much to comment on here, but I do LOVE that bracelet...and that last photo of Paris at night.

I don't see it happening - this bataille de chou VS. macaronBecause:1. Macarons come in so many colors and they make people happy.2. Creating diverse witty boxes for macarons is a HUGE industry.I saw many at the Salon du chocolate...3. The variety of flavors/parfums for macarons is endless.4. Size matters - you can eat a macaron in one bite as a petit gouter. A chou is more messy, plus riche peut-etre?It's an interesting phonomenon for sure.xxCarolg

I really enjoy Paris Breakfasts, and your paintings more than anything else, there.I, too, sometimes wince slightly at your errors in French, but I wouldn't be as critical as "J-P Hevin Lover".I may have said this before - I teach calligraphy (in France, mostly to French people) and I find that the fact that my French is far from perfect is a help. When one is teaching fully literate (often very cultured) adults how to make an A, a B, &c., the fact that the teacher isn't very good at "just talking" makes them feel less incompetent and stupid. Or so I tell myself (husband/co-teacher's French is impec & they all adore him, too...maybe they just take pity on me).So I sometimes (quite often?)suspect you of using doubtful French in Paris Breakfasts expressly so the readers will not feel outclassed, &c.Nonetheless (you feared there'd be a "nonetheless", didn't you?) I would like to recommend very highly that you get a Mac (not a macaron, an Apple computer) or, if you already have one, up in the top menu bar, click on the American flag (or whatever flag is there), open "international" and find the Spanish ISO keyboard choice. You don't want a French keyboard, because they are a form a torture, where the numerals are all MAJUSCULE and the A and Z and M and W and I-don't- know-what-else are in crazy places. But the Spanish ISO keyboard has all the accents conveniently placed, offers you a Ç (and an Ñ should you ever want it), and as long as you can keep the apostrophe (up under the ?) clearly separate in your mind from the ´ (acute accent) you'd find it a dream.Unfortunately the only image I can find quickly online is of a Windows version. But it shows the idea.And the only thing one might normally want and be unable to find would be a £ sign, for which I am accustomed to quickly change the keyboard (up there in the top Mac menu bar) to the Union Jack and I know that the £ is located at Shift + 3. See: it even gives you $!It is only "lecon" which has to be read "le con" - a common phrase in French, but quite rude in translation; which is very bothersome. Should really be translated as "the jerk", I suppose) which you type instead of leçon that makes reading Paris Breakfasts awkward; and "Bon Nuit" for Bonne Nuit, as "J-P Hevin Lover" says...Anyway - I must go read the last-but-one installment which I somehow missed!Keep wrting, and keep painting!Plusieurs bisoux,amanda

Dear A.There just isn't time to do everything Amanda.Paint, photograph, write posts, AND correct my lousey French + my lousey spelling in general.

I've mentioned before I'm a tad dyslexic so I automatically flop letters and numbers.Fortunately most ppl read fast or just look at the pictures and miss my errors or don't care .(8-10,000 of them daily)Certainment French Girl does not have the time nor interest to correct my errors and wants her English corrected more often than not. Boy did she laugh at that idea!Some things just have to get overlooked in the posting process.and I'm not about to spend $$$ for a new Mac computer malheuresement. I love my PC anyway.I have French readers and they don't seem to mind a bit my consistent errors or they keep mum about it.Go figure!